Man Talks Back to Mother Doesn't Get His Ass Beat
by starspangledpumpkin
Summary: George is just trying to run his shop when his Mum comes by dealing with some Empty Nester Syndrome and decides to help out. For the Houses Competition.


**Hufflepuff**

**Fifth Year**

**Standard**

**Word count: 1172**

**Prompt: [Speech] This is my business. I know what I am doing. I don't need you telling me how to run it."**

**Bonus: Sweetest Burn; Second Verse: (Not a Lamp; Brooms Only)**

**Challenges: Yellow Ribbon; Click Bait It; Long Haul**

**Stacked With: The Houses Competition; MC4A; Fem-Power Challenge; Sky's the Limit; Romance Challenge**

**Warning: **This story does not paint Molly Weasley in the best light. She was a fierce mother and loved her children, but she has her flaws, too. If we are not in agreement, the backspace is at the top or bottom left corner of the screen depending on what device you are using. Have a pleasant rest of your day.

**Universe Alterations: **George is in a relationship with Lee Jordan because I don't think it's fair to either him or Angelina that he might as well be a replacement for Fred. "Half in love with him already" like… it doesn't work that way and it's basically saying George and Fred were not individuals.

~o0o~

"It's the off season," said Lee. "You could probably keep the shop closed today and stay in bed with me.

"It's inventory day and I can't let Verity do it alone," said George. "Plus, if I don't get up Bartholomew will yack on the bed."

"That's right…" Lee grimaced. "Why did Luna give you that thing again?"

"Hey, Bartholomew is a delightful raven," said George, untangling himself from Lee's arms so he could get up. "Most of the time."

"Right, when he isn't yacking on the bed or hiding all our left shoes."

"Careful or he'll follow you to the radio station and grace the waves with his lovely singing voice," George teased.

"Well… he's a better singer than you."

After some playful banter with Lee and a quick breakfast, George went down to his shop with Bartholomew perched on his shoulder. Even when kids were in school, pranking didn't have an age number. He had old folks wanting to spice things up at the home and Ministry workers wanting to spice things up at the office. And today, he had a mother letting her son pick a couple items.

"Mummy, Mummy!" said the little girl with them. "Can I please get this? Please, please, please?"

"Heavens no!" the mother gasped. "Spiders aren't for little girls."

George noticed little things like that. It seemed wizards and witches weren't as equal as they liked to believe if little girls couldn't play around in muck and boys couldn't play with dolls. His own mother was like that. With a smile, he distracted the mother by pointing out a line of products while slipping the little girl the toy that would sometimes be a teddy bear and sometimes be a fuzzy orange and black tarantula. It was a prank he and Fred once pulled on Ron when they were children.

"Alright, little man," said George. "Make some mischief. And you…" he pointed to the little girl. "Double it."

The children laughed and followed their mum out the store.

"You're good with children." George turned to see his mum standing by the Wonder Witch products. "I can't wait to see you have your own someday."

She would have plenty of grandchildren thanks to her other children, and George and Lee agreed that they didn't want any at the moment. Not that anyone outside their immediate group of friends knew about their relationship.

"Hello, Mum," he said. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I just wanted to visit," she said. "You aren't over for dinner much and, well, I thought maybe I could help around here."

"Are… are you taking an interest in what I'm doing?" George asked.

She nodded.

"Well, alright," he said and grabbed the inventory checklist for Muggle Magic, Wonder Witch, and Sweets. "Go through everything we have on the shelves and write what we have in this column. Then, go to the back and write down how much we have in the second column. Verity and I will do the rest."

"Suspicious circumstances," said Bartholomew.

George shushed him. "And not a bad word out of you or Mum will wash your beak out with soap. I will watch and laugh."

Bartholomew cawed and flew away to his perch near the dragon roasted nuts.

"Interesting bird…"

"Luna found him on her travels and gave him to me as a present."

"Luna!" said Mrs. Weasley brightly. "She's a rather attractive young woman. Xenophilius said she's still single."

"Whoomp! There it is," sang Bartholomew. He chanted the phrase and danced around mimicking the Muggle song. "Whoomp! Whoomp! Whoomp!"

"Er… right, well, she's a good friend," said George clearing his throat awkwardly.

Mum got one of her little smiles when she thought one of her children had a crush and were too shy to talk about it. Hopefully he'd be able to set the record straight eventually, but not right now.

"I'll just go do that inventory now," she said.

"Thanks, Mum," he said. "I appreciate it."

Little did he know, that when George Weasley put Molly Weasley to work at Weasley Wizard Wheezes… it would be a permanent thing. Every single day the shop was open, his mother showed up looking for something to do and asking if he needed help and helping whether he wanted it or not, even if it was just serving tea or passing out samples outside the front.

And then there was the _hints_.

"These boxing telescopes are so mean. Wouldn't it be nicer if they just left an ink circle?"

"The point of them is to deter people from going through your stuff," George had explained.

"I think these shelves would look much nicer if they were arranged this way."

"A system was set up so that everything would be organized by type and serial number, organizing it by color messes up the inventory system we have set up in the back."

"Do you really think you should be selling love potions?"

"They're not love potions, Mum, those are illegal. They're infatuation potions. There's a big difference."

"Instead of having these shakes shock you, wouldn't it be nicer if it was just a little buzz?"

"Well, you can't serve alcohol to children, Mum!" George shouted.

She looked shocked as if he may as well have slapped her.

"It was just a suggestion," she said affronted.

"This is my business," he said. "I know what I am doing. I don't need you telling me how to run it!"

"George—"

"No, Mum! You've been here for two months making your little 'suggestions' and I've had enough of it. I thought you were finally taking an interest in what I'm doing with my life, but no! You just want to change things so that _you_ approve of them as you've always been doing. You never liked our business and you were always screaming at us, grounding us, and throwing away our inventions! We had to hide our research papers under the floorboards so you wouldn't destroy months of hard work!"

"Well, if you had shown you were—"

"Uh-uh," said George. "I'm talking now. I am a grown man, I make fifty thousand galleons a year in profits, and I don't need an unsupportive mother telling me what to do with my life. I love you, Mum, but it still feels like _your_ love is conditional."

"Oh, snap," said Bartholomew fluffing his feathers.

"I didn't know you felt that way," said Mum.

"You didn't bother to ask, did you? And another thing, stop trying to set me up with women! I'm already in a relationship."

"What's her name?"

"Lee."

"Lee? Just like…" her eyes widened. "Oh… Oh, I see… Are you sure?"

"Seriously?" George scoffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can… can you just go? Please, just… go. I'll send an owl when I'm ready to talk again, okay?"

Nodding silently, Mum left the store and apparated home.

"What a mess," George muttered and turned the sign over to closed before going upstairs and flopping face first into bed. "I won't apologize first."


End file.
